Should you Try a Grocery Delivery Service?

This post contains affiliate links to products. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Have you been seeing these ads and coupons for grocery delivery services? Do you wonder sometimes, what kind of person orders groceries on the internet? Well I did too, until I tried it out myself. I had to decide whether grocery delivery is a frivolous waste or a valuable time saver.

I hate grocery shopping. Not because of the store, or even the action of it. My disdain for grocery shopping (or shopping generally) is because like many of you I work during the weekdays. So this leaves weekends, when errybody and dey slow-moving, badass kid corralling mamas are out there, in my way, trying my patience and generally reminding me of how I’d so rather be doing this on a Tuesday morning instead.

I have to get up at the crack of dawn to try to avoid all this and sometimes I’m successful and sometimes I’m just not. So I was already curious about how this whole grocery thing could work for me.

Now I’m a spoiled foodie. I live in an urban food oasis. I have access to farmers markets at least 3 days a week during the growing season and live within 2 miles of 2 Whole Foods markets. But the mental irritations of existing inside one of the most extremely gentrified neighborhoods in the whole damn country takes away about 80% of all that advantage from me. I like to get in, get what I need and get the hell out. Not be sniffed by stinky dogs, dodging giant baby carts and all the obstacles that come with being surrounded by a people who are certain that the earth, moon, sun and stars revolve around them exclusively.

My favorite grocery store is actually out in the affluent African American ‘burbs of Maryland, about a 20-30 minute drive away. They have all the healthy items I love plus the mainstream items I can’t find at a health food store. So when I got the email message that now that store delivered to my house in the city I was super excited.

So last week I had to try it. I woke up early as usual but instead of jumping into the car, leaving the kitchen a mess from Friday night fun, with only a small clue of what I needed to get, I fired up the laptop.

For one thing, I was able to go to the fridge and the pantry to check what I needed. No, I didn’t need any more brown rice, there’s a whole unopened bag in the freezer. So I put together my list and sent the order.

Now I was all excited so I had to dance around the kitchen for a while to get it out. Then I turned my energy to cleaning up the kitchen. Now, the two weekends before I had reorganized my pantry and cleaned the fridge so I was sure not to order unnecessary items.

The cool thing was that some of the items I ordered were not available so I was able to communicate directly with the shopper to direct any substitution.

By the time the groceries arrived everything was ready, clean and organized and it took all of 10 minutes to put everything away, unlike when I go to the store and come home to the jacked up kitchen, get overwhelmed, lie on the sofa for a little while and throw everything in there so haphazardly that when I need things I can’t find them. And because I felt energized, happy and still in my comfortable “lounge pants” I actually had time to do a little meal prep for the week ahead.

The uncool part is that if you are a foodie-foodie, sometimes you just need to pick your own produce. I had chosen sweet (as in Mayan or Vidalia) yellow onions. What I got was yellow onions, not necessarily sweet. The average person wouldn’t care but…it was fine, I used them in dishes that didn’t make a difference with it.

And also, I ordered both curly parsley and cilantro. My shopper accidentally picked up flat leaf parsley instead of cilantro. I can’t even be mad, I’ve done it before myself, more than once.

Overall, my experience was good, about a 4 out of 5.

Now, what about the cost? Yes, it is more expensive. But how do you expect them to make money? I used Instacart. There is a delivery fee and you need to tip the shopper/driver. Also, some of the grocery items may be marked slightly higher or lower than in the store. But for me, I’m spending $20-30 less than I would at the store because I’m avoiding impulse purchases and buying things I already have. In addition, I’m actually controlling food waste better since I’m using what I buy.

Some people are organized enough to plan meals and go shopping. I’m not that person. I could definitely be, if I tried hard but I don’t want to, there is a plethora of other things I’d rather do with my time, so no. My whole healthy lifestyle philosophy means to the biggest extent possible, choosing what I want to do with my time, and still eat healthy too.

So my verdict? Is grocery delivery ultimately worth it?

Sometimes. It’s good for when I need less fresh produce and more household items and non-perishables. At the same time, grocery delivery may give me extra time to go to the farmer’s market because I don’t have to go to both the grocery store and the farmer’s market.

At the time of this publishing I got the news that Amazon Prime/Whole Foods grocery delivery is now free. I guess that means you only pay the tip and their vague fee.

All in all, grocery delivery is a good thing, because it’s another choice. It’s highly subjective as to whether or not it is something that can make healthy eating significantly easier for you and your family. So if you’re curious, I suggest you give it a try and judge for yourself.